THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for your patience throughout the rain delay earlier today.
Joined currently by Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet with his third front row starting spot of 2025. Second straight here at World Wide Technology Raceway.
No shock you're up front. Maybe you wanted P1 in qualifying. Still, front row spot is pretty good.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, of course, I'd love to be up front. Team Penske 1-2 is always good. Will, a while since he's been on pole. He's super quick around here. Anytime you go up one on one against Will Power in qualifying, it's always tough.
Felt really good. Car has been good basically since the drop. I think we're in a really good spot for tomorrow regardless. We'll see what we've got.
THE MODERATOR: 700th all-time pole for Team Penske in the many series you're participating in. Talk about that maybe.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I forgot about that. That's a big one. I would have loved to have got that.
Anyway, look, it's huge to have that with the 700th, then to have a front row lockout, obviously that's a big thing. Really happy for the team. Really happy for RP, who is currently locked in on the Le Mans 24 Hours as we speak. All good.
THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions.
Q. Can you talk about the Chevy engine, how good at this track.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Look, it's been strong basically every oval. I think we were quite strong on the high-speed tracks, on high-speed -- top-speed. The Honda has been good in other areas as well. A big emphasis on our oval program being strong there.
Yeah, it's nice the hard work that they put in behind the scenes. Definitely still more work to do regardless. It always is in INDYCAR. They've done a really good job with the package they've brought to ovals this year.
THE MODERATOR: Talk about the importance about tonight's practice. You're going to have the same conditions as tomorrow night.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Huge. Obviously the misfortune of the rain. At the same time I've been praying for us to run at the time of the race. Yeah, ideal conditions right now to get a feel for the car, see where we're at.
Yeah, I think this is where the practice should have been regardless. It's hard to change all the promotions and stuff around the race, I understand that. Curtis and everyone at World Wide Technology Raceway has done a good job working with INDYCAR to even get us to this 8 p.m. Eastern starting point.
THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, Scott. Have a great practice tonight. We'll see you tomorrow.
Now joined by Will Power, who has pole position, P1 award. Driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. His fifth P1 award here. First since Iowa in 2023. Extends his series record to 71, as well.
Took a couple years, I guess. I don't know. Seems like it's been a while, but maybe it doesn't, Will.
WILL POWER: Yeah, it has been a while. I mean, been on the front row a few times. Yeah, it's nice to get a pole always. One point, and get to lead the field to green.
I'm going to enjoy it for an hour or so and get back to practice.
THE MODERATOR: 700 for the captain.
WILL POWER: That's nuts, man. I've got 1/10th of his poles. Do the math there.
THE MODERATOR: Front row for tomorrow's race with Scott.
WILL POWER: Yeah, absolutely. It will be nice to see nothing in front of me for the first time in a while (smiling).
Yeah, good stuff. Good stuff.
THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions.
Q. You've been telling us since before the start of this year you feel like you're in the best shape of your life, have as much speed as you've ever had. Seemingly a great opportunity to prove what you've been talking about, I imagine.
WILL POWER: Yeah, absolutely, man. I really do believe that. I feel that. I've obviously done this for a long time. I know the craft very well. Very nice to get a pole. Obviously it's just two laps. You got to execute in the race.
We've been quick all year. Obviously, as you know, in INDYCAR things just play out. A lot of up and downs. I think consistency this year will help you, apart from Alex winning all those races. Even he had a bad race last week.
It just takes a couple of them and a couple of good races for us, we're within striking distance. It's obviously a big points lead, but absolutely not impossible.
Q. From your experience, what does it take ultimately to win this race? Do you feel you have the car underneath you to be able to take that checkered flag?
WILL POWER: Yeah, it is often a track-position race. It really depends on strategy where you end up.
Last year we saw a really great race. The second lane opened up. That's because some people were fuel saving, some were running hard on different strategies.
I really hope for the sake of having a race on Sunday night, prime time on FOX, that we do put on a great show because we certainly can if a second lane opens up. I'm glad they're doing second-lane practice, as well.
Yeah, that will make the racing fantastic.
Q. We're heading into a stretch of the season that are Will Power type of tracks. Not that any of them aren't. Do you really see this as not only the beginning of a Team Penske rejuvenation, but a Will Power rejuvenation?
WILL POWER: Yeah, I do. I think we had the capability to do it in the first half of the season. It just hasn't played out, whether it's through qualifying or strategy in the race. St. Pete was just unfortunate for me. Those things happen. But the rest have been very strong races.
I think to win a race, you've got to start at the very front. That's not absolutely true, but it certainly helps. That's where I feel we've lacked for the first half of the season.
Q. How much would a win here tomorrow night help solidify your future?
WILL POWER: Anytime you're P1, in any session, it's just little bits of credit. Yeah, one race win would be one chunk of credit. You just have to keep doing that.
Just the nature of this series. It's very competitive right now. Teams are looking for top-level drivers. It's come down to that. People that can execute week in and week out. You've got to keep putting runs on the board.
Q. Opening up the second lane, the second lane practice coming up, how much is that going to impact on the race tomorrow?
WILL POWER: There's two things. One thing is, like, running that second lane practice puts a bit of rubber down and cleans it up. The second part of it is that it actually lets drivers understand that you can run up there, it's comfortable, get a feel for it.
I'm not sure which helps the most. It's hard to say whether it's because drivers have confidence to go up there and they go up there in the race, it starts to rubber in and doesn't get dirty, or it is that you've rubbered it in a little bit in practice.
Either way I just think we can have great races on ovals when we have a second lane. I really hope that's the case tomorrow.
Q. This track, for people don't know it, the corners are vastly different. It's not like a traditional oval. They're very, very different.
WILL POWER: Yes, they are very different. In one end in qualifying you're downshifting three gears, the other one you're all but flat, wide open in fifth gear. Quite a bit different. It is fun. It is a fun oval. I've always enjoyed this place.
Yeah, technical for the fact that you don't have two ends that are the same.
Q. You mentioned earlier how nice it would be see out of the front of the field again. How big is that clean air, especially at the start of the race, not being in the hornet's nest?
WILL POWER: Yeah, I think it's good to be in the top three, four there. I think once you start falling back, it gets hard to get back there. Sometimes it's not good to lead and burn that fuel because this is on the cusp of a four-stop race. You can eliminate one stop, so...
It will be interesting to see how that sort of plays out throughout the field. Last year it created good racing because the leaders were trying to save fuel while people back further were trying to make track position.
Yeah, it's actually the way that the race sits now, fuel mileage, is the way to get the second lane working simply because the leaders are going to save fuel.
Q. What are you actually able to say about your future at the moment, where you expect to be racing next year? What's the situation there?
WILL POWER: Nothing's changed. Same scenario. I don't think anyone will know till after the season.
Q. With only the practice this morning, then the second lane running, sometimes drivers tend to run too low. It gets them extra setup or practice information. The race control watches that. Even when the first year they did this was you, maybe Rahal were the only ones that really ran that second lane. Do you think now the drivers all understand it's important to do that?
WILL POWER: They should. I think for the show they should just. C'mon, I mean, we want to put on a show. It's good for ratings, good for sponsors, good for everyone. Don't take the piss and run low. It's 10 minutes.
So I hope everyone does that. I don't think there's really any rule or enforcement. Maybe they make you pit. Just go out and, yeah, help out basically because that's what we're doing.
Q. Did your teammates really help you? Did they help you with some of the track things?
WILL POWER: I asked my engineer just a couple of questions like were they flat in three, four, which I figured you'd have to be. Were they adjusting the car end to end. That was about the extent of it.
I just think it's good to go later no matter what because people are laying rubber, you have a time to aim for, kind of know what you got to do. That's the benefit of being at the pointy end of the championship.
Q. This will help your team going later with the qualifications because the track temperatures.
WILL POWER: Yeah, you mean going later you get a bit of temp? I think the track temp was pretty consistent. If it is slowly dropping, it definitely helps.
Q. From a selfish point of view, how much would you like to put that pole record so far away out of reach of anybody else coming up that it might last 30, 40 years?
WILL POWER: Yeah, of course. Just keep adding to it. It would be nice to get to 80 (laughter). I've had eight in a year, so it's not impossible. Obviously tough these days.
Yeah, every time you get one, I mean, bloody amazing. Especially at this point in my career, anytime I get a P1 in any of these sessions like qualifying or the race, big deal. Big deal. I love it.
THE MODERATOR: Couldn't help notice Beau is over here. Father's Day is tomorrow.
WILL POWER: Say hello. What do you want to say?
BEAU POWER: About me and about you.
THE MODERATOR: You can't get any better than that.
WILL POWER: No, it's great. Little man.
THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on the pole. Have a good practice and we'll see you back here tomorrow.
WILL POWER: Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports